Who needs Guitar Hero when you've got a cool dad?

I remember hearing a saying once: Buy them the most expensive toy and they'll want to play with the box it came in. Albeit, at three Nate is a bit young to pretend he's Slash, but watching his big kid cousins play popular video games, like Guitar Heroand Rock Band, has piqued his interest.

Enter my husband, a master air guitarist in his own right. (I have been trying to convince him to enter the Air Guitar Championships for years!) Add two Tinkertoy sticks and some pillows and you have a two-man family band.

Watching the two of them together reminds me of how simple childhood can be. How we often complicate things unnecessarily by buying the latest developmental toy or gadget.

Obviously when kids get older and are subject to peer pressure and commercial messaging, buying them more stuff is unavoidable to an extent. But when they are still this perfectly small and unaware, it's nice to be reminded of the joys of imagination, the treasures in the recycling bin, and the magic of offering your time.